1. And finally, activate your team by creating a plan where work is still accomplished, even as people are offline. 4. if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-china.aspx") > -1) { "Then you know what they have planned, and you can encourage them to follow up on it and take the time off.". For example, one of my direct reports said she was not going to use her vacation as she did not have any plans. Talk through these fears and encourage them to use vacation time to spend more time with their families or to lay by the pool as a way to relax and unwind. We know it can be difficult to remember, especially when youre in the middle of a busy day, but taking small breaks throughout the day will actually help keep you and your employees feeling energized, happy and inspired. Here are a few samples to help you draft the perfect vacation request letter. John Linden, an interior designer at MirrorCoop, a custom-mirror company in Los Angeles, was so desperate for employees to take time off that he began buying them tickets to local museums so they might consider fun and socially distanced activities for their days off. Some businesses may close down for a week or two at a certain time of the year, and that period is everyone's . These Three Words Describe Me in The Best Way. Employees should clearly understand your organization's vacation policy. Though annual leave is part of the compulsory benefits of a regular employee, it is always a good gesture when you planned it ahead of time and inform you immediate superior about it.These are the things that you need to consider before writing the letter: 1. This approach is common for groups with regularly recurring busy periods, like sales teams that are expected to close in Q4. Vacations are necessary to help you re-charge and be your best in the office. Plus, you want to give them an easy way to book time off, so they dont need to jump through hoops or read the fine print of a complicated leave request policy just to take a holiday. Learn if they are planning any fun trips, and remind them to book their vacation as far in advance as possible so you can be ready for it. Managers are also encouraged to be vocal about taking shorter amounts of time off. You want your employees to take a break from their work and enjoy the world outside. What you say is less important than what you do. Vacation Policy - 11+ Examples, Format, Pdf | Examples Sometimes we all need to take some time off and do something completely unproductive. Using this circular for declaring holiday format, you can write leave circular for your own company. This person can then quickly approve or decline the request, with a full view of any potential holiday clashes in the app. Project: Time Off's study found that employees who take all of their vacation time increase their chances of getting promoted and getting a raise by 6.5 percent, compared with people who. Sabina Nawaz. How can you encourage employees to take vacation days? A subscription purchase is the best way to support the creation of these resources. How To Encourage Employees To Take Time Off And Recharge - Forbes To minimize employees' lost days, 24 percent of companies are planning to increase carryover limits. From dress code to time off, my team follows the tone set by the leader. In this case, make a simple process for reaching out and interacting with coworkers to find coverage for time off. Employee COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy Template - Paycor 4.2.2 Earning Vacation. PTO will be available to exempt and non-exempt employees. In, Template: PTO Communication to Remind Employees to Use Time Off Hours, more productive and exhibit lower stress and better mental health, There's more to PTO than making adjustments at the end of the year. You truly deserve this vacation; we hope you will consider our letter and will take this opportunity. Adjust Job Requirements to Allow for Stress-Free PTO. It can cause no symptoms, some symptoms, serious illness . 5 ways to encourage staff to take annual leave. We help you make things easy for everyone by giving you two things in this article: Lets be honest: You shouldnt really need letter templates. temp_style.textContent = '.ms-rtestate-field > p:first-child.is-empty.d-none, .ms-rtestate-field > .fltter .is-empty.d-none, .ZWSC-cleaned.is-empty.d-none {display:block !important;}'; Here are 12 ways you can proactively encourage employees to take time off work: Encourage employees to take a digital detox. Redefine vacations to mean more than just recreation and travel to include family time, caregiving, and self-care. "With the holidays coming up, we'll continue to remind employees that taking time to recharge benefits everyone, and it will help them be in a better mindset for what will hopefully be a much less chaotic 2021," she said. Even though staff taking holiday can be disruptive in the short term, encouraging staff to book annual leave actually holds many benefits to employers in the long run: Cut stress & burnout, and improve productivity. 1. Why you should encourage staff to take annual leave This includes ensuring everyone takes their allotted time off and fostering a culture that doesn't make people feel hesitant to take their vacation days. Part time employees accrue vacation on a pro-rated basis. Pay attention to your email's header and the design of its body . Managers: Encourage employees to take vacation time Tip#2: Be friendly. Managers, Encourage Your Team to Take Time Off - Harvard Business Review We send two emails per month max. Encouraging Your Employees to Take Vacations - MIBluesPerspectives You know who hasnt taken enough time off, and you dont have to trawl through spreadsheets to find out, since its delivered directly to you. Vacation Request Email to Boss Sample: 4 Examples Holiday Request Letter to Manager: 4 Templates Annual Leave Letter: 4 Templates Leave Extension Letter Example: 4 Templates Holiday Request Letter example: 4 Templates Engineer Farewell Letter: 28 templates Leave of Absence Letter Template: 4 Emails Leave Application Confirmation Letter: 4 Templates year after restoration (i.e., restored in leave year 2013 to be used by the end of leave year 2014). This strategy will give everyone equal opportunities when it comes to making decisions about how they spend their free time outside of work hours. Steve Pemberton, chief human resources officer at the company, which is co-headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and Framingham, Mass. In this post, we gave you three sample letters you can send to your team to remind them they have annual leave left to use or letting them know that leave will be carried over. Be happy when employees book time off. The Best Way We've Found To Get Employees To Take More Vacation Time 3 templates for reminding your employees to take annual leave Template #1: Reminding your employee that the end of the year's approaching and their holiday time doesn't carry over Template #2: Informing your employee that they missed the cut-off for taking their leave (and explaining how your carry-over policy works) Dear [RECIPIENT'S NAME], 0-5 years of service - [days] PTO days each year for exempt employees; [days] PTO days each year for nonexempt employees. PDF Sample employee email to encourage them to get vaccinated It gives both the employee and employer time for review. 5 of the Best Vacation Email Message Examples - Schedule emails, email Unfortunately, the time for booking your annual leave has passed. That's why it is so important to lead by example. Design/methodology/approach - - The first step of the analysis identifies the wage policy . Even if our employees work from home, we ask when they are taking a 'vacation' even if it's a staycation. Guide To Vacation Leave Letters: Definition, Template and Sample But please keep in mind that this leave must be used within the next calendar year or the carry over balance will expire. Encouraging employees getting fresh air and exercise during work hours through outdoor breaks or fitness classes held onsite (many companies offer these types of perks). You can use our sample leave of absence forms to encourage employees to take time off work. Please purchase a SHRM membership before saving bookmarks. Remind employees to schedule annual leave in advance Have an open talk with your employees about their unused annual leave. 10 Types of Leaves to Include in Your Leave Policy, How to Manage Remote Employees over Microsoft Teams. I've included a sample email template to send to your team today. Your session has expired. In these difficult times, weve made a number of our coronavirus articles free for all readers. Published Tuesday, Jul 7, 2020 Contact Us Human Resources Address: 120 Whittier Hall Box: 149 * Phone: 212-678-3175 * Email: hr@tc.columbia.edu Disability-related Accommodations To request disability-related accommodations contact OASID at oasid@tc.edu, (212) 678-3689, (646) 755-3144 video phone, as early as possible. Instead, encourage your team to take shorter breaks more often an afternoon every week or a full day here and there. In many companies, employees may even need to find coverage while they're out so their workload isn't interrupted. This leave can make you more motivated and help you perform more effectively. It gives them space to refresh, a chance to reflect on their own personal growth and health, and helps them come back with renewed energy and focus. If we take time away from work to recharge and reconnect with loved ones, we can return to work ready to approach our work with energy and purpose. They worry that workers' reluctance to take time off is only adding to the anxiety, stress and other mental health problems caused by COVID-19 and the recession. 8 Engagement Templates to Encourage Employee Glassdoor Reviews Employees often postpone PTO because they worry about who will take up the slack while they are out, said LauraHandrick, a contributing HR professional at Choosing Therapy, a Brooklyn-based website that helps educate the public about the benefits of therapy. With people understandably fearful about their employment, employers need to set up and give people the mental break they need. It also shows your employees that you don't need to spend needless extra time in the office to look busy if you're delivering on your goals. You have always been a diligent, hard-working, and loyal team employee (mention the details). In general, yes, employers can require employees who physically enter the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19, and before the pandemic, other employer vaccine mandates have been applied, such . Tip#4: Ease any concerns about finishing your projects on time. There's more to PTO than making adjustments at the end of the year. The company thinks that you truly deserve this vacation, and we hope you will consider our effort to appreciate your hard work and will take this opportunity. The reason for this leave request is purely due to medical reasons. Finally, employers can simply remind employees to take their time off before the end of the year. You should send employees monthly reminders about how much time off they have available for use in the following year. Review these examples of letters and emails sent to candidates during the hiring process: Interview Invitation Letters Candidate Rejection Letters Welcome a New or Returning Employee Whether you're making an initial job offer or welcoming an employee back from an extended leave, here are some samples of what you might say. You don't need us to tell you that taking time off should reduce stress. It is the most valued," Reinberg said. You may be doing a great job as a manager, but are you showing your employees how to be good managers? Ensure youre clear about your organizations current time-off policy and communicate it to your team. As of [DD/MM/YY], you have an annual leave balance of [X DAYS/ X HOURS]. Sterling R. Morris, Intermountain Healthcare. Timetastic helps make that a reality by giving your team an easy way to see their leave balance, check the companys time off calendar, and book their holiday request. Wed like to avoid you losing your hard-earned time off. A leave allows the workers to have a break to rest and re-energize themselves for their future work. Consider providing informal time off, increasing caps on maximum vacation accrual, and encouraging people to take breaks. Through a combination of this survey data and individual coaching conversations, here are six strategies for managers on how to approach vacations when so much of the workforce is working from home. } A. shows that employees who take a lunch break are more likely to be satisfied with their job, and say they are as effective and efficient as they would like to be. How Companies Can Encourage Employees to Use Their Vacation Time. In our company time off policy, it states that [X AMOUNT] of your annual leave will be carried over into the next year. Encourage managers to set an example by utilizing their vacation time. So why not encourage your employees to try scheduling an extra day off on a Friday or Monday once in a while? "It is important for all of us to step away from time to time and come back to work refreshed and revitalized," Chancellor Rebecca Blank says. Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor. Companies need to ensure that they consider the rights and benefits of the employees whenever certain policies are planned, created and developed. Once the request is approved, the company Wallchart is updated so everyone can see that new time off has been added to the company calendar. The next big thing to solve is making sure your team has the tools to book their holiday. It's considered best practice for companies to make their PTO policies easily accessible for all employees, ideally in a comprehensive Culture Guide. Now?" My coworker was incredulous. Use this communication template to remind employees to check their PTO status before the year endsand their time off potentially expires. Dear [Name of Manager], I would like to request for one week of leave from [DATE] to [DATE]. You have successfully saved this page as a bookmark. Employees need to feel that their organization understands work-life balance and that they are encouraged to take. To encourage more employees to take time off before Dec. 31, HR professionals are urging managers to think creatively about how to use vacation time. Encouraging to take time off is one of the most important things that you can do for your employees. **Note to employees who are projected to have annual leave that otherwise would be subject to forfeiture By using a human resources information system (HRIS) like BerniePortal, HR can make this enhanced employee handbook available for everyone on the team with a few clicks. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM China "); Knowing who on your team is at risk of burnout or who has a lot of leave left to use is a huge win. Then encourage employees to incorporate those activities into their daily routine so they dont forget about them. However, when a manager (i.e. You, your team, and your directors. else if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-mena.aspx") > -1) { Managers might also consider reducing the number of meetings around the holidays, or making Mondays and Fridays meeting-free days from Thanksgiving until the end of the year to encourage employees to extend their weekends. Thank you for being a great leader. This is an easy way to help your employees unplug, refocus, and enjoy themselves. I will be traveling to visit my parents/taking family vacation time. Leaders can show employees they value this by taking time off themselves. ", The request for employees to take vacation "was met with unbridled appreciation," he said, adding that "acknowledgment is important to people.". Set the example for your employees Discuss the days you will be taking off and encourage your team to do the same. "Managers who meet with their staff prior to them taking PTO can brainstorm with them about who in the company is best to take over each task, project or client while they're out," Handrick said. We encourage team members to take a minimum of 3 weeks (15 work days) of vacation time throughout the year, in addition to the holidays (bank, religious or otherwise) you choose to observe. Managers at HealthJoy are encouraged to talk with staff about their own planned time off, including sharing what they're looking forward to during their time away, Wilsonsaid. What is important is that they spend time with them, because they never know how long they have with their loved ones regardless if there is a pandemic. Let them know that, Its time to make it a habit for your employees to unplug from work often, taking into account their, One of the most important things you can do to ensure that your employees are able to enjoy their time off is to create company, Encouraging your employees to take vacations. The first step to dismissing any negative perceptions about taking time off is to reassure your employees that their jobs are safe. Many volunteers have been reluctant to go to the center amid the pandemic, which made it difficult for the 43 employees to take time off. She also suggested that employees reduce their workweek by taking a Friday or Monday off each week until the end of the year. Various studies show that the current environment is taking a toll on employees' mental health and fueling workers' reticence about taking time off. By taking time off regularly, you can show everyone else in the company how important it is to take time off so they dont feel guilty about doing so themselves. How You Can Encourage Your Employees to Take Annual Leave - A Job Thing